Andrew Bogut made a quiet return from a hamstring injury as the Dallas Mavericks overpowered the New York Knicks on Wednesday night while Cleveland slumped further in the shadow of LeBron James' disquiet with the NBA champions.
Australian centre Bogut played 21 minutes - scoring just two points, four rebounds, two assists and three blocks - as the Western Conference strugglers notched their fifth victory in their last seven matches with a 103-95 win.
Bogut missed the last six games with a right hamstring strain but moved well for the resurgent Dallas.
Dallas led by as many as 10 points in the third quarter, but the Knicks rallied to get within one twice in the fourth quarter.
Harrison Barnes scored 23 points and Seth Curry had 20 for Dallas, who were coming off a 49-point blowout over the Los Angeles Lakers.
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Carmelo Anthony, the subject of trade talk, scored 30 points to lead the Knicks.
In Cleveland, Arron Afflalo dropped a three-pointer with 17.3 seconds left in overtime as the Sacramento Kings rallied for 116-112 win over the Cavaliers.
It was Cleveland's sixth loss in eight games as they deal with a major distraction after James challenged the team's commitment to winning and demanded roster changes.
Earlier in the day, James met with his teammates, coach Tyronn Lue and general manager David Griffin to discuss the biting remarks he made following a loss on Monday at New Orleans.
Griffin was most upset with the superstar's assertion that the Cavs appeared satisfied with one title.
"It was the most misguided comment that came out of any of this," Griffin said.
Despite playing without leading scorer Joel Embiid for the second consecutive game, the Philadelphia 76ers held off the Milwaukee Bucks 114-109 to win for the fifth time in six games.
In Memphis, Marc Gasol scored a career-high 42 points, including the deciding two free throws with 36 seconds left, as the Memphis Grizzlies sent Toronto to their fifth straight loss 101-99.
Gasol's final free throws ended a 12-0 run by the Raptors that tied the game at 99.
In New Orleans, Russell Westbrook had 27 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists -passing Larry Bird with his 60th career triple-double - and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the New Orleans Pelicans 114-105.
Dennis Schroder scored 24 points as the Atlanta Hawks ended the game on a 19-4 run to beat the Chicago Bulls 119-114.
In New York, Dion Waiters scored 14 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter as the Miami Heat overcame an 18-point deficit in the final period to beat the beleaguered Brooklyn Nets 109-106.
Isaiah Thomas worked his fourth-quarter magic again for Boston in a 120-109 victory over the Houston Rockets that ended the Celtics' three-game losing streak.
New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis missed the second half of their match against Oklahoma City after aggravating a right thigh bruise as the Pelicans fell to the Thunder 114-105.
